Multiple boot

[Zeke]

I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on
HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do
it:
- Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive
- Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option).

What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Zeke.

As you obviously recognize, there are many possibilities. The simplest (not
necessarily the best) might be this:

Use Disk Management to shrink Drive C: to leave room for WinXP at the end of
HD0. (10 GB should be more than enough.) Create a new partition in that
space. Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP there. This,
unfortunately, will overwrite Vista's boot sector and boot-up files on Drive
C:, leaving you unable to boot into Vista. Then boot from the Vista DVD and
use its Repair Boot function.

The Golden Rule of dual-booting, of course, is to always install the newest
OS last, because its Setup program knows how to handle earlier versions, but
it's too late for that on your system. WinXP has no idea what to do if it
finds Vista onboard, so it simply overwrites the boot sector and installs
its own files on the System Partition. These can be restored by Vista's
BCDEdit.exe, which will also run in WinXP, or by a third-party program (such
as EasyBCD from NeoSmart: http://neosmart.net/, which is free and makes the
job easier), or with the Vista DVD-ROM (which should be included with an OEM
installation, but often is not).

One side benefit to installing WinXP at the far end of the disk is that,
when you decide to retire WinXP, you can simply delete that partition and
Extend Drive C: to use that space.

Other strategies might include installing WinXP on HD1 and making its
partition bootable, as insurance against the day when HD0 has a problem and
won't boot. With a little extra effort, you can put dual-boot menus on both
HDs, just in case.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)

 

[AJR]

Do not create a dual boot system - unless there is a pressing need or reason
for doing so - other than just "liking" the idea. Sooner or later a
decision will be made to remove XP - and that is not as simple as
uninstalling XP and reorganizing the partition or separate HD.

In a dual boot setup, Vista installs files, including a hiddden folder
titled simply "Boot" at the XP location and since XP requires Boot.ini -
Viasta looks for it first and if XP is not selected to boot, Vista looks for
it's boot manager BCDStore.

Removing XP and the associated partition removes the Boot folder which
requiring use of BCDEdit or a third party boot manager.

r

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, AJR.

In a dual boot setup, Vista installs files, including a hiddden folder
titled simply "Boot" at the XP location

Not necessarily "the XP location". Vista writes a new boot sector and
installs its files in the System Partition. Many (probably most) users
misunderstand the terms "System Partition" and "Boot Volume" (or "Boot
Partition") because they are actually counter-intuitive. (Not Microsoft's
fault; these terms were inherited from way back.) For an explanation, see
this KB article:
Definition of System Partition and Boot Partition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/

The MS dual-boot (or single-boot) configuration is like a "Y" or a tree.
The System Partition is the trunk of this tree, which may contain many
branches - although in most cases, there's just one. That trunk holds the
boot sector and the startup files. Each branch can be a "boot volume" for
ONE operating system. So we can have WinXP on one branch and Vista x86 on a
second branch (and Vista x64 and WinXP x64 - and others - on other
branches). No matter how many OSes are installed, the boot always starts at
the trunk of the tree and then, depending on instructions found there,
branches to one of the boot volumes to load the system installed on that
branch. (Note that the boot sector is the first physical sector on the
partition. It is NOT a file; it is outside not in the Root or any folder
and normal file commands can't touch it at all.)

When WinXP Setup runs, it writes the WinXP boot sector and startup files
(NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini) into the Root of that System Partition,
and then installs the rest of WinXP into the \Windows folder on whichever
branch the user chooses. MOST of the time, the user chooses (or defaults
to) the System Partition, which is almost always good old Drive C:. That
makes it impossible to reformat WinXP's boot volume without also
reformatting the System Partition - and wiping out the startup files.

When Vista Setup runs, it writes its own boot sector and startup files into
the Root of the System Partition. If it finds WinXP's files already there,
it first preserves the WinXP boot sector in a new file in the Root
(Bootsect.bak) before overwriting it. It does not delete the WinXP startup
files, but adds Vista's own bootmgr file and \Boot folder alongside those
and creates the dual-boot menu.

To remove WinXP later, DO NOT REFORMAT Drive C:. Just boot into Vista and
delete C:\Windows, the boot folder for WinXP. That leaves the boot sector
and all the startup files (for both WinXP and Vista) intact. For final
cleanup, delete the 3 WinXP startup files and use BCDEdit.exe - or a
third-party program - to remove WinXP from the dual-boot menu.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)

 

[John Barnes]

For the easiest and cleanest installation, before installing XP, change the
boot priority in the BIOS so that the XP drive will become the system
partition. Install XP. Then you can either switch the boot priority back
or leave it. If you switch back, Vista will be your default boot and you
can use the BIOS selection to boot XP.
You can accomplish this with a second partition on HD0, but you will have to
make the new XP partition as the 'active' partition prior to installing,
then you can switch back. You will also have to use EasyBCD or VistaBootPro
to set up your dual boot.

 

[Zeke]

Zeke skrev:

I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on
HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do
it:
- Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive
- Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option).

What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?

Thanx for your input. However, my primary question is left unanswered.
What would be the pros / cons to let the boot selector in BIOS do the job?

 

[John Barnes]

Thought my post covered it. If you install on different drives you can
control it in the BIOS. If you install on one drive, you have to use the
Vista boot files to select the system or change the active drive each time.

 

[John Barnes]

Most modern BIOS's give you a function key which allows you to select which
drive to use as the priority drive. Works as easily as going thru the Vista
boot screen

 

[John Barnes]

Forgot to mention that this method does require that each selected drive
must have its own boot files.

 

[Roedy Green]

I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on
HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do
it:
- Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive
- Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option).

What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?

see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/bootmanager.html
for your options.

 

[Christopher R. Lee]

This is very beardy stuff.

Most people just want to use their computer. The problem is that Vista stops
you using your computer, and particularly its peripherals.

Therefore, we need a geek-free guide to installing a functional operating
system, but without losing the expensive Microsoft stuff during the
transitional period.

Regards

 

[andy]

Zeke skrev:

Thanx for your input. However, my primary question is left unanswered.
What would be the pros / cons to let the boot selector in BIOS do the job?

Pro: disks/operating systems totally independent of each other.

Con: less time to decide which operating system to boot, since the
BIOS boot device override option lasts only a few seconds.

 

[John Barnes]

BIOS boot only allows for booting to one system per drive. It will only
boot the active partition. If you have multi boot set up on that partition
you can boot to the other, but you can't select it directly from the BIOS